** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CATTLE PRODUCTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY IN THE U.S. COMPRISINGTHE LARGEST SHARE OF CASH RECEIPTS FOR AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES. BEEF PRODUCTION HAS A $12.1 BILLION IMPACT ANNUALLY TO THE STATE OF NEBRASKA ECONOMY INCLUDING 6.5 BILLION IN DIRECT SALES.INFERTILITY, DEFINED AS FAILURE FOR COWS TO CONCEIVE AND HAVE A CALF EACH YEAR, IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AS CASH RECEIPTS FOR OFFSPRING FUND AND SUSTAIN COW/CALF OPERATIONS. THE COST OF INFERTILITY TO U.S. CATTLE PRODUCERS WAS ESTIMATED TO BE OVER $1.06 BILLION ANNUALLY. A MAJOR INFERTILITY PROBLEM IN CATTLE IS ANOVULATION WHICH IS THE FAILURE TO OVULATE AN EGG, OR TO DISPLAY BEHAVIORAL ESTRUS AND OVULATE AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. OFTEN ANOVULATION IS DUE TO IMPAIRED FOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT WHICH CAN OCCUR WHEN THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THE FOLLICLE HAS PRODUCTION OF TOO MUCH STEROIDS LIKE ANDROGEN. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED FIVE POPULATIONS OF BOVINE AND OVINE FEMALES WITH 18-26% OF THE HERD/FLOCK THAT HAVE NATURALLY OCCURING EXCESS ANDROGEN RESULTING IN FOLLICULAR ARREST AND ANOVULATION OR INABILITY TO OVULATE.THESE NATURALLY OCCURRING ANDROGEN EXCESS ANIMALS HAVE SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS TO WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS). THE DISORDER PCOS IS STRONGLY FAMILIAL AND THE PREVALENCE RATE IS 21% ACROSS MANY HUMAN POPULATIONS WITH HIGH HERITABILITY. OFTEN 60% OF DAUGHTERS WITH MOTHERS DIAGNOSED WITH PCOS ALSO HAVE THIS DISORDER. WE ARE WORKING WITHIN OUR HERD TO DETERMINE HERITABILITY OF THIS ANDROGEN EXCESS IN FEMALES AND IF IT CAN BE PASSED FROM DAM TO OFFSPRING.EXPERIMENTS WITHIN THE CURRENT GRANT WILL DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAYS EXCESS ANDROGEN MAY IMPAIR HOW THE CELLS WITHIN THE OVARY COMMUNICATE AND HOW THIS IMPAIRSFOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT AND OVULATION. ONCE WE UNDERSTAND CRITICAL COMMUNICATION PATHWAYS THAT ARE ALTERED WE CAN START TO DEVELOP POTENTIAL THERAPIES TO TREAT AND RESCUE THE ANDROGEN EXCESS IN THESE COWS WITH THE GOAL OF BEING ABLE TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF ANOVULATION AND FEMALE INFERTILITY IN CATTLE AND INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AND SUSTANABILITY OF PRODUCER OPERATIONS.